France will progressively reduce long-distance train, bus and plane travel on its territory over the coming days in a bid to limit the spread of the coronavirus, the ecology minister said Sunday.
The country, which has already shut cafes, restaurants, schools and universities and urged people to limit their movements, will now seek to limit long-distance travel "to the strictly necessary" minister Elisabeth Borne told journalists in Paris.

France to limit long-distance train, bus, plane travel over coronavirus

PTI Automatic

An Israeli court on Sunday postponed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's graft trial over coronavirus, as the premier relaunched his appeal for an emergency unity government to tackle the crisis.
Netanyahu, the first Israeli prime minister ever indicted in office, had been scheduled to stand trial from Tuesday over alleged bribery, fraud and breach of trust -- charges which he denies.
Jerusalem's District Court said in a statement that, given the coronavirus pandemic, it had been instructed to hear "only urgent matters".
In Netanyahu's trial, "we have decided to postpone the first hearing until May 24," the court said.
Israel has 200 confirmed cases of the virus, and tens of thousands of people in home quarantine.
Netanyahu has been charged with a range of offences including receiving improper gifts and offering a media mogul lucrative regulatory changes in exchange for favourable coverage.
Despite the indictments, Netanyahu's right-wing Likud party won the most seats in March 2 ...

Israel postpones Netanyahu graft trial over virus

Russia and Turkey on Sunday launched their first joint military patrol along the key M4 highway in Syria's Idlib region, following a ceasefire agreement earlier this month, Russian news agencies reported.
Russia sent military police and armoured vehicles to the patrol, which started from the settlement of Tronba in Idlib, the last rebel stronghold in the country, TASS, Interfax and RIA-Novosti news agencies said.

Russia, Turkey start joint patrols on Idlib highway: reports

Saudi Aramco on Sunday reported a 20.6 percent drop in its net profit for 2019 due to low oil prices and production levels, the company said in a statement.
These are the first annual results to be announced by the energy giant after its historical USD 29.4 billion initial public offering and listing on the Saudi Tadawul market last December.
Aramco posted net profits of USD 88.2 billion last year compared to USD 111.1 billion in 2018, Monday's statement said.
"The decrease was primarily due to lower crude oil prices and production volumes, coupled with declining refining and chemical margins," it said.
The company also made USD 1.6 billion of impairment provisions for losses associated with Sadara Chemical Company, an Aramco subsidiary.
"2019 was an exceptional year for Saudi Aramco. Through a variety of circumstances -- some planned and some not -- the world was offered unprecedented insight into Saudi Aramco's agility and resilience," CEO Amin Nasser said.
"Our unique scale, low ...

Saudi Aramco reports 20.6 percent drop in 2019 profit

Beijing authorities will send all international arrivals in the Chinese capital to quarantine facilities starting Monday, state media reported, as China steps up measures against imported coronavirus cases.
People arriving from abroad had previously been allowed to undergo the mandatory two-week quarantine at home, but now only those in "special circumstances" will be exempted from being sent to facilities where they must pay for their stay, local Communist Party newspaper Beijing Daily reported Sunday.
Imported virus cases have accounted for nearly all new infections recorded in China outside the outbreak epicentre of Hubei province for over the week.
Chinese authorities have stepped up surveillance of international arrivals as the number of domestic cases dwindle and outbreaks abroad continue to grow.
All international flights into the capital's secondary Daxing Airport have now been rerouted to arrive at the older Beijing Capital Airport, where arrivals will be screened and ...

Beijing to send all international arrivals to quarantine facilities

The Seychelles has confirmed its first two cases of coronavirus, which has now hit 25 countries in Africa, largely spared by the pandemic until recently.
Public Health Commissioner Jude Gedeon announced late on Saturday that two citizens returning from Italy on March 11 had tested positive for the virus.
"As we learnt these two people had been in contact with a sick person, we decided to do the tests this morning and the results were positive," he said.
"We have now put in place the process to trace all people who were in contact with the patients, but as they are in an early stage the risk of spreading is weak."
The virus has rapidly spread across African countries in recent days with Rwanda, Central African Republic, Equatorial Guinea and Mauritania all announcing their first cases on Saturday.
East African hubs Ethiopia and Kenya have also recorded infections.
In the island nation of the Seychelles, normally empty supermarkets were besieged with panicked shoppers on Sunday. Nairobi 

Seychelles confirms first cases of coronavirus

Liverpool could have been crowned Premier League champions on Monday for the first time in a generation. Instead the stadium will be silent and the streets empty.
Jurgen Klopp's team needed Manchester City to lose to Burnley on Saturday to give them a chance to seal the deal at their local rivals Everton two days later.
Regardless of whether it would have happened at Goodison Park or over the coming weeks, their first top-flight title for 30 years was a mere formality.
But now fans are wondering when, or even if, they will be crowned champions after the coronavirus laid waste to the global sporting calendar.
The message coming from Liverpool is that there are more important issues than football to talk about, even with the club tantalisingly close to glory.
"I've said before that football always seems the most important of the least important things," Klopp said in a statement on Friday.
"Today, football and football matches really aren't important at all.
"If it's a choice between ...

Liverpool left to wait and wonder after virus strikes

France went to the polls in nationwide local elections on Sunday, defying a mounting health crisis caused by the coronavirus outbreak that still risks keeping many voters at home.
President Emmanuel Macron, for whom the two-round election is a crucial mid-term test, has insisted the polls to choose mayors and municipal councils go ahead to assure democratic continuity in the country.
Despite fresh restrictions announced Saturday evening -- including the closure of non-essential public places such as cafes, restaurants, cinemas and gyms -- polling stations across the country opened at 8:00 am (0700 GMT).
Officials have insisted that voting will take place under the tightest sanitary conditions, despite widespread fear that polling stations are ideal germ-spreading venues and a particular risk for older people.
Macron said on Thursday that scientists had assured him "there is nothing to prevent the French, even the most vulnerable, from going to the ballot box", provided everyone ...

Anxious France votes in local elections, defying virus

The Vatican said Sunday that its traditional Easter week celebrations would be held this year without worshippers due to the coronavirus.
"Because of the current global public health emergency, all the liturgical celebrations of Holy Week will take place without the physical presence of the faithful," the Prefecture of the Pontifical Household said in a statement.
The office is in charge of coordinating most of Pope Francis's public schedule and his audiences with heads of state and other dignitaries.
The Vatican also said: "Until April 12, the general audiences and the Angelus presided over by the Holy Father will be available only in live streaming on the official Vatican News website."
According to the latest tally late Saturday, there have been 1,441 deaths in Italy due to COVID-19, and more than 21,000 Italians have tested positive.
Italy is the hardest-hit European country so far in the pandemic.

Vatican to hold Easter celebrations without congregation due to virus

El Salvador's congress has declared a state of emergency and approved a partial suspension of the country's constitution to tackle the coronavirus epidemic.
The measures include a restriction on free movement and assembly for a period of 30 days, allowing health officials to ban public gatherings.
"We have given the government legal mechanisms to deal with this serious health situation," congressional president Mario Ponce said after Saturday's vote.
El Salvador has yet to record a confirmed case of the COVID-19 outbreak.
On Wednesday the country banned entry to all foreigners for three weeks and imposed mandatory 30-day quarantines for citizens returning from abroad.
President Nayib Bukele also suspended school and university classes nationwide.

El Salvador declares state of emergency over coronavirus

Passengers on the Golden Princess cruise liner were barred from disembarking at a New Zealand port on Sunday because of a suspected coronavirus case on board, health officials said.
There were 2,600 passengers and 1,100 crew on the boat docked at Akaroa near the South Island city of Christchurch, according to the port's cruise ship schedule.
New Zealand's director-general of health, Ashley Bloomfield, said three passengers have been quarantined by the ship's doctor.
One of them has developed COVID-19 symptoms and is being treated as a suspected case.
"All on board are not being allowed off the ship until results are known," Bloomfield said.
The health scare arose just three days after Princess Cruises announced it was suspending voyages worldwide for two months in response to the coronavirus pandemic.
The company is allowing cruises within the last five days of their journey to complete the trip, but said cruises ongoing as of March 17 would end early at the most convenient ...

Passengers held on cruise ship in New Zealand over virus fears

The ailing US news industry is bracing for more turmoil with the coronavirus pandemic expected to deliver an economic shock to the sector -- just when people need credible information the most.
The impact is expected to be especially difficult for the newspaper sector, which has endured a decade where 2,000 publications have disappeared and newsroom jobs have fallen by half.
News organizations are expected to take a hit from drops in advertising in an economic downturn, and could see declines in subscription revenue as readers pare expenses.
Conferences and events that some organizations have used to supplement their incomes is also likely to disappear as long as the health emergency persists.
"If you're ad supported and now heading into a period of short-term economic contraction that's very bad for your business," said Gabriel Kahn, a journalism professor at the University of Southern California who follows industry economic trends.
"For smaller local players that's a direct hit ...

Coronavirus to deliver fresh hit to staggering media sector

Houston Astros stars George Springer and Alex Bregman joined the ranks of US sports figures stepping up to help out stadium workers and others impacted by the coronavirus pandemic.
Astros outfielder Springer, the 2017 World Series MVP, is donating $100,000 to Minute Maid Park workers who stand to lose wages after Major League Baseball pushed back the start of Opening Day, scheduled for March 26, "at least two weeks."
"These are the people that help take care of my family when I go to work," Springer said through his agency, Excel Sports Management.
"Now I want to help take care of them when they're in a time of need."
Bregman donated 1,000 quarantine food kits which the Houston Food Bank said would make sure students who normally receive free lunches at school will get 28 meals per kit while their schools are closed.
The Astros players swell the ranks of athletes and teams who have pledged to provide financial assistance to hourly wage workers who will be hard-hit by the disruption to 

Astros' Springer, Bregman pitching in with coronavirus relief

Four-time Olympic gold medallist Simone Biles wants more than good wishes from USA Gymnastics.
The US federation wished Biles a happy 23rd birthday on social media on Saturday.
Biles -- who also owns 19 world titles and is expected to be among the stars of the Tokyo Olympics -- used their tweet as a chance to demand an independent investigation into the Larry Nassar sex abuse scandal.
"How about you amaze me and do the right thing ... have an independent investigation," Biles snapped on Twitter after the federation's birthday tweet.
"HAPPY BIRTHDAY to the most decorated gymnast of all time, @simonebiles!" USA Gymnastics wrote, posting a video of Biles in action in a floor exercise.
"We know you will only continue to amaze us and make history!" Former national gymnastics team doctor Nassar was jailed for life for abusing more than 250 athletes, including stars of the United States' 2012 and 2016 gold medal-winning Olympic teams.
A US Senate investigation found that "multiple ...

Biles takes aim at USA Gymnastics in birthday tweet

David Beckham's six-year wait to watch his Major League Soccer club make its home debut, which was to have ended Saturday, has been extended by the league's coronavirus shutdown.
But that didn't stop him and his family from visiting Inter Miami's empty stadium on Saturday.
Beckham's club was to have hosted the Los Angeles Galaxy, the MLS club where the former England and Manchester United star played from 2007 through 2012, in its first match at its temporary home in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
Instead, the entire league has joined all major North American sports leagues and shut down its season for 30 days due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
That left Inter Miami owner and president Beckham and his wife, Victoria, to take their four children to the empty venue and post a video on Instagram.
"Special day showing the family what we've built," Beckham posted as the camera made a 360-degree tour of empty Inter Miami Stadium while music of Spice Girls -- his wife's former group -- ...

Beckham visits empty stadium as MLS club's home debut delayed

Serie A doctors have issued a joint warning advising against a return to club training after four more players tested positive for coronavirus, bringing the tally in the Italian top flight to 11.
Fiorentina's Patrick Cutrone and German Pezzella contracted the virus, the Tuscan club said on Saturday, with Sampdoria's Fabio Depaoli and Bartosz Bereszynski later confirming they had also been diagnosed.
Serie A doctors said they had "strong concerns" and "unanimously advise not to resume training until a clear improvement" in the situation.
Four Fiorentina team members were diagnosed with Serbia forward Dusan Vlahovic also testing positive on Friday, along with a club physiotherapist.
Seven Sampdoria players have tested positive, including Italian midfielder Depaoli and Polish defender Bereszynski on Saturday, along with Juventus defender Daniele Rugani this week.
Vlahovic, 20, revealed that he had not realised anything was wrong until he became feverish and his temperature rose to 39 ...

Serie A doctors warn against return to training as 11 players catch coronavirus

Atalanta forward Josip Ilicic has donated the ball with which he scored four goals in the Champions League last week to a hospital in Bergamo, at the centre of Italy's coronavirus drama.
Ilicic scored four times in a 4-3 win over Valencia to power the Champions League newcomers into the quarter-finals, a welcome boost back home in the north of Italy.
"We too are by your side, our angels, to win the most important match of all," said Ilicic, who gifted the ball to the Papa Giovanni XXIII Hospital in the city.
Coach Gian Piero Gasperini has appealed for funds for the hospital to purchase medical equipment.
Napoli captain Lorenzo Insigne donated 100,000 euros to a local hospital in Naples, with Juventus defender Leonardo Bonucci donating 120,000 euros to a Turin hospital.
Meanwhile to fill the void left by the lack of live football in Italy where sports have been suspended until April 3, Sky Sport will broadcast all of Italy's matches on their way to lifting the 2006 World Cup.

Four-goal Ilicic donates ball to hospital in stricken Bergamo

America's level of success at overcoming coronavirus and how fast that happens are likely the key factors in deciding when and how the NBA and other sports leagues return.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver imposed an indefinite hiatus on the league season on Wednesday after Utah's Rudy Gobert tested positive for coronavirus, with every other major North American sports organization following quickly.
"We intend to resume the season if and when it becomes safe for all concerned," Silver said, who predicted the shut down would last "at least 30 days."
"In the meantime, we will continue to coordinate with infectious disease and public health experts along with government officials to determine safe protocols for resuming our games."
The hiatus will last to at least April 10, eight days before the scheduled start of the NBA playoffs, but Silver and team owners could extend it, delaying resumption of the campaign into June or later.
"Even if we're out for a month, even if we're out for six ...

NBA's next steps hinge on US results in virus fight

English county Derbyshire will curtail their pre-season tour to Zimbabwe and head home on Monday due to fears over the coronavirus.
With the deadly pandemic causing chaos with the global sporting schedule, Derbyshire have elected to end their tour, although no one on their team has the virus at present.
A statement on Derbyshire's official website said: "While no member of the touring group has shown any symptoms related to COVID-19, the health and safety of our players and staff remains of paramount importance and therefore the decision has been made to bring the group home at the earliest available opportunity."
Derbyshire said they will closely monitor the situation surrounding the coronavirus outbreak and "continue to follow government guidelines in relation to all employees and visitors to the Pattonair County Ground".
Derbyshire arrived in Zimbabwe earlier this week and beat a Select XI by 48 runs in their opening T20 match in Bulawayo on Saturday.
Derbyshire's head of cricket ..

Derbyshire end Zimbabwe tour over coronavirus fears

Super Rugby, the southern hemisphere's premier rugby union club competition, is suspending its season after this weekend's games due to the coronavirus pandemic, the organisers said.
Organisers SANZAAR said they had "no option but to suspend the 2020 Super Rugby tournament at the conclusion of this weekend's matches for the foreseeable future".
SANZAAR said it had taken its decision after the New Zealand government announced that all returning travellers, including Super Rugby players, will have to self-isolate for 14 days.
Five New Zealand teams, including reigning champions Canterbury Crusaders, play in the 15-team tournament which also includes clubs from Australia, South Africa and Argentina.
Crusaders played Saturday and went temporarily top of the table after securing a 49-14 bonus point win over the Tokyo Sunwolves in Brisbane.
The Canterbury-based side will be able to return home to New Zealand before the midnight Sunday deadline.
"SANZAAR completely understands the directive .

Super Rugby suspended after this weekend due to coronavirus

Australia on Sunday announced anyone arriving into the country will face mandatory 14-day self-isolation, in a bid to slow the spread of the coronavirus.
"We are going to have to get used to some changes in the way we live our lives," Prime Minister Scott Morrison said, adding the measure will come into effect from midnight (1300 GMT Sunday).

AFP

AFP

Page 100 - Afp